The Rebel Alliance Strikes Back
by shiki94
Summary: Ever since the Authority decided to make their presence more known in the WWE, many Superstars have had to feel their wrath; as a result, lines have been drawn in the WWE. Not wanting to stand back and watch as the people close to her get punished anymore, Alex Hardy decides to make a stand with these same Superstars. Rated T for swearing.
1. A New Regime

**This is a fic that I've been wanting to write that is essentially my own spin on the whole Authority Knows Best storyline that's been going on. I feel the need to write this because I'm not exactly the biggest fan of this particular storyline; mostly because I just think this is just a chance for the higher-ups to stick their noses into matters that don't concern them (I mean, if it weren't for them, Daniel would've been WWE Champ at SummerSlam), also because I think this whole storyline has been something along the lines of a glorious train wreck.**

**So, disclaimer: I own none of the Superstars and Divas used in this. They are the property of themselves and the WWE. The only things I do own are the ideas that are going into this fic and my OC, Alex Hardy.**

_1...2...3..."He's done it, Cole! Daniel Bryan's the new WWE Champion!" Jerry Lawler exclaimed, watching as the younger Superstar was handed the WWE Championship by the guest referee, Triple H. _Daniel Bryan couldn't believe it. After everything he had been put through leading up to this opportunity to fight John Cena at SummerSlam, Daniel was finally holding the championship he had spent the better part of the year chasing after; all of the hurdles he had to jump over, all of the bullshit he had to put up with from Stephanie and Vince McMahon, all of that led to where he was now. And that was him standing in the middle of the ring with the WWE Championship. Just as he had climbed the turnbuckle to celebrate with the WWE Universe, where 'Yes!' chants filled the arena, the opening lines of 'Voices' filled the arena as Randy Orton made his way down the ramp with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand.

As Daniel readied himself to defend against the Viper, he was suddenly spun around and, much to the surprise and shock of everyone, was hit with a Pedigree from Triple H just as Randy climbed into the ring. Handing his briefcase to Triple H, Randy got in position to perform an RKO on a still reeling Daniel as the younger man rose to his feet. With Triple H having already signaled for this new match to begin, Randy hit Daniel with an RKO. Pinning the recently crowned WWE Champion, Randy then stood and, accepting the WWE Championship from Triple H, raised his hands and his newly won belt high for the WWE Universe and the WWE roster members watching backstage to see. Little did anyone know that with this win, a new era was set to be ushered into the WWE, changing things as everyone knew it.

...

The Monday after SummerSlam, talk amongst the roster seemed to be Triple H helping Randy take the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan.

"I just can't believe SummerSlam actually had to end _that _way, though," Alex Hardy said, as she and her friends watched a replay of last night's main event.

"I'd say I saw it coming from a mile away, but even I had no clue that this was going to happen," AJ Lee said, as she packed her duffel bag in preparation for their morning training session.

"Well, if we were placing bets on who was going to walk away with the WWE Championship, I'm sure we all would've lost our money," Kaitlyn said, zipping her duffel bag. "I mean, we should've at least figured something was going to go down the minute Hunter decided to insert himself into the match as the referee."

"But, now, we've got to deal with the whole 'crowning of a new WWE Champion' thing later tonight on RAW," Alex said, picking up her own duffel bag and, grabbing her phone, headed for the door with two of her best friends falling into step with her. "Could either one of you two be a pal and explain to me why the hell it is that we even have to show up to this shipwreck?"

"Because we have to show that we're happy for our new champion and that we welcome him with open arms," Kaitlyn said, pulling the door to their hotel room closed after AJ walked out. "Which I wholeheartedly believe to be a huge crock because I don't really like Randy all that much."

"No one really does, Kait," AJ said. "I mean, I think he's got a few friends, but there's just something about him that drives people away from him."

"The thing I believe you're talking about is Randy's cockiness," said a voice coming from up ahead. Looking up ahead, the three Divas saw that it was some of their other friends on the roster, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Jimmy and Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes, Alex's boyfriend.

"Now, Phil, Randy's not all that bad," Cody said, trying to defend one of the men that he had known for most of his career. "He's just, he's just, what's the word, really confident in his skills."

Placing a hand on the younger Superstar's shoulder, Punk said "Cody, that 'confidence' Randy has in himself is cockiness. It doesn't really help him that pretty much he's gotten more opportunities at belts than most people that have been in this company in the past."

"Well, can you blame me for wanting to try to defend Randy at least?" Cody asked, defensively. "After all, he is one of the guys that really helped me get a foothold in this company."

Shrugging, Punk said "Well, I guess maybe that could go towards something not self-centered Randy's done since he's been in the WWE. But, mostly everything else, he's done to stroke his own ego."

Listening as her friends went back and forth with their discussion of the man who was now the WWE Champion, Alex couldn't help but shake Randy winning last night from her head. This was the same man who had taken on both of her older brothers before when they were in the WWE and she knew just what he was capable of, and somehow, she was feeling that him having the backing of the people in charge was not going to be a good thing.

...

Everyone arrived at RAW to the news that everyone had to come out on the stage and watch as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon welcomed Randy out as the new WWE Champion.

Laying back on one of the benches in the locker room she shared with her friends, Alex moaned and said "I don't wanna go out there! Just let me know what they say and I'll go out there next time."

"No, Alex," Kaitlyn said, grabbing Alex by her wrists in a bid to pull the younger girl off of the bench. "Everyone has to go out there. That includes you."

"But, it's going to be so boring out there," Alex said, whining. "I'd rather get my teeth yanked out of my mouth than listen to Randy get showered with praise by Steph, Trips and Vince."

"Will you at least go out there and stand with Cody?" AJ asked. "I mean, none of us want to be out there. I'd rather be back here playing my DS than going out there and listening to droning for who knows how long, but we all have to suffer through this."

Looking over to her boyfriend to see that he was reflecting the same vibes that AJ was sending off, Alex sighed and said "Fine. But, just so you guys know, I'm not going to be happy with this."

"Noted, Alex," Kaitlyn said. "Now, let's head on. After all, we wouldn't want to be late for this assembly now would we?"

"I guess not," Alex said, opening the door to their locker room as they joined the group of Superstars and Divas that was making their way to the stage.

Once everyone was gathered on the stage, the opening chords of 'King of Kings' filled the arena as Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H made their way out on the stage and through the crowd of parted Superstars and Divas. Watching as the three most senior members of the WWE made their way down to the ring, Alex couldn't help but feel a strange feeling of revulsion towards the three; after all, it was because of them that Daniel Bryan didn't have a championship that he had rightfully earned.

Taking a microphone as soon as his daughter and son-in-law were in the ring, Vince McMahon looked out at the WWE crowd and, smiling, said "Welcome to Monday Night RAW! Last night was one hell of a night, wasn't it? After all, we crowned a new WWE Champion during last night's main event."

Hearing this, the crowd soon erupted with chants of 'No!'. Taking the microphone from her father, Stephanie said "Now, I'm sure all of you were expecting the champion last night to be Daniel Bryan, but we felt that that wouldn't exactly have been best for business. Which is why we had to let Randy come out and cash in his briefcase. After all, what kind of company would we be if we had someone like Daniel Bryan walking around with our most prestigious belt?"

"You'd be a company that could inspire people, that's what you'd be," Punk said, up on the stage, much to the shock of everyone around him.

Looking up at the Straight Edge Superstar, Triple H took the microphone from his wife and asked "I'm sorry, but could you repeat that please?"

"Look, I'm just saying here. Daniel had that match just as good as won last night, but I'm guessing that wouldn't have OK in the land of the boneheads," Punk said. "After all, it seems like you guys have had it out for Bryan ever since he first set foot here."

"Don't be ridiculous, Punk. We've been nothing if not fair with Daniel," Triple H said.

"Really, Hunter? Well, explain to me why it is that you and wifey and papa down there spent months trying to keep Daniel away from the WWE Championship. Why is that?" Punk asked.

Taking the microphone back from her husband, Stephanie said "Look, Punk, I get what you're trying to say here, but you have no idea how hard it was for us to have to let Randy cash in last night."

Snorting and rolling his eyes, Punk said "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, just get on with the rest of the bs ceremony. I've got more important things to be doing right now."

Visibly shaken by Punk's outburst, Stephanie said "Well, Punk, since you've got _such_ important things to be doing, then get ready for your match later tonight. And don't worry about who your opponent will be. We've got that covered for you." Seeing the look of apprehension cross Punk's face, Stephanie smirked and said "And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that my husband, my father, and I give you your new WWE Champion, Randy Orton!"

The sounds of 'Voices' soon filled the arena as Randy Orton walked out on the stage and through the crowd of Superstars and Divas that had parted to let him through. Making his way to the arena, Randy walked on with a conceited smirk firmly on his face. Climbing the steps and climbing into the ring, Randy shook Triple H and Vince's hand and gave Stephanie a hug. Taking the microphone Stephanie had, Randy looked around at the WWE crowd and, hearing their boos, said "I can tell that not that many of you are pleased with the image before you, but too bad. I just had to bide my time and wait for my chance to cash in and reclaim what was rightfully mine. And it is with great pleasure that I stand before you as your WWE Champion." Casting a look up at the group gathered on the stage, Randy said "And I demand respect from each of you, seeing as how I'm _your_ face of the WWE."

A low murmur went through the roster members gathered on the stage. "Face of the WWE?" "What exactly does that mean?" "Does this mean that Randy's the guy that's supposed to represent us as a company?" Hearing this murmuring around her, Alex ducked through the crowd before any of her friends could stop her and headed backstage to wait the rest of Randy's 'coronation ceremony' out. 'I don't have time to listen to that egomaniac make his own head swell even bigger than it already is,' Alex thought as she sat on top of one of the equipment crates. 'This is so not what I signed up for all those years ago. And, I can only tell that things are only going to get worse from here.'

**Don't forget to R&R to let me know what you guys think of this as a start.**


	2. Punk's Trial

After having to stand on the stage and listen to more of Randy going on about him being the face of the WWE now for ten more minutes, the roster was free to head backstage so that they could prepare for any matches and segments they had later in the show. Splitting off from the larger group, Cody, AJ, and Kaitlyn walked off in search of Alex.

"How did we manage to lose track of Alex?" AJ asked, scanning the hall they were walking down.

"We didn't lose track of her, AJ," Kaitlyn said, looking around under some the tables that were set up. "We were all paying so much attention to Randy, Vince, Stephanie, and Hunter that Alex must've decided to bolt while we weren't looking."

"I wonder why she took off," Cody said, worry coloring his voice. "You don't think she got upset about something out there, do you?"

"I wouldn't say that she got upset about something that was said, but this is Alex we're talking about," AJ said. "She has her reasons for doing lots of the things that she does."

"That much I know," Cody said. "I just can't seem to guess why it was that she would just take off without telling one of us."

"Maybe we'll be able to find that out once we find her," Kaitlyn said. Suddenly hearing Alex's voice, Kaitlyn said "And I think she might be closer than we think."

"What makes you say that, Kait?" AJ asked, before she heard Alex's voice as well. Leaning in to better hear where Alex might be, AJ said "She's down that hallway."

"Well, then let's go get her," Kaitlyn said, walking down the hallway with AJ and Cody following behind her. After walking a ways past a few tables and chairs, the trio finally found Alex sitting on one of the crates with her earbuds in her ears, singing along with the Phoenix song, S.O.S. in Bel Air. Walking to stand in front of Alex, Kaitlyn tapped Alex on the shoulder.

Her eyes snapping open, Alex looked around and saw two of her best friends and her boyfriend all looking at her with concerned looks on their faces. Taking out her earbuds, Alex said "Hey guys. Is Randy's bit over already?"

"Yeah, it's been over for about a good ten minutes now," AJ said, hopping up on the crate beside Alex.

"Mind telling us why you decided to ditch the whole thing?" Kaitlyn asked.

Shaking her head and hopping down from the crate she was sitting on, Alex said "I'd really rather not. It's a long story and I don't want to risk having my blood pressure spike because of it."

"Do you think you could maybe tell us later?" Cody asked.

Looking up at her boyfriend, Alex said "Maybe I could. All just depends on how I feel after the show's over. So, what kind of matches are up for tonight?"

"Well, Punk kind of shot off at Steph and Hunter, so he's got a match later tonight against a surprise opponent," AJ said, leaping off of the crate as well.

"Surprise opponent, huh?" Alex asked. "Almost makes you wonder who that could be."

"It could be anyone on the roster," Kaitlyn said. "Guess we'll have to find out later tonight."

Watching on as his girlfriend talked on with two of her friends, Cody couldn't help but let a sinking feeling crawl over him. He knew he shouldn't worry too much about Alex, but there was a part of him that just felt uneasy about how Alex had been behaving. Not wanting to make all that big of a deal about it, Cody fell into step with the girls as they headed for their locker room.

…

Making it back to their office and slamming the door shut behind them, Hunter, Stephanie, and Vince all took seats on the couches that were in their office.

"How dare Phil think he can just shoot off at us like that?" Hunter asked, clenching and unclenching one of his fists.

"Phil is obviously in need of an attitude adjustment," Stephanie said, placing a hand on one of her husband's knees. "One that we may just have to give him."

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Hunter asked.

Scratching his chin before he got hit with an idea, Vince said "Stephanie already said that Phil's in action later tonight, right? How about we show him during his match?"

Listening to the suggestion his father-in-law just made, Hunter said "That actually doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Who did you have in mind?"

Smiling one of his signature smirks, Vince said "You'll see later."

…

The show for the night had gone relatively smoothly with some of the typical matches that were on the card with Cody taking on Dean Ambrose of The Shield, Dolph taking on Alberto Del Rio, AJ, Kaitlyn, and Alex teaming together to take on the team of Aksana, Summer Rae, and Fandango, and a few segments that only served as filler. The buzz floating amongst the roster, as well as the fans in attendance, was all over who Punk's opponent was going to be later in the night. Many were thinking that it was going to be Randy since Punk interrupted his 'crowning' ceremony earlier in the night.

"How do you even prepare to fight a guy like Randy anyways?" Jimmy asked, as he changed into his street clothes after having a match with his brother where the two took on the Prime Time Players.

"As cryptic as this may sound, you don't prepare to fight a guy like Randy," Punk said, taping his wrists. "You just go out there and hope you don't get caught offguard by him."

"We wish you well in your match," Jey said. "Try not to let him beat you."

Smirking as he finished his wrists, Punk said "I wouldn't dream of it. Now, if you kind people will excuse me, I've got a main event to go put on."

"Good luck," Kaitlyn called over her shoulder.

Not wanting to sit idly while Punk left, AJ hopped up from her seat beside Kaitlyn. Throwing a quick lie over her shoulder, AJ sped out of the locker room to catch Punk before he got too far away.

"Punk! Hey Punk!" AJ shouted as she tried to keep up with him.

Hearing his voice being called behind him, Punk turned around to see a slightly red-faced AJ speeding after him. "AJ, what's up?" Punk asked, confused about why the younger Diva would be hurrying after him at a time like this.

Finally catching Punk, AJ stopped to catch her breath. After having managed to get her wind back, AJ said "Be careful out there."

Chuckling a bit, Punk said "Being careful is for those that don't know what they're doing. I don't fall into that category, so I'll be fine."

"I know, but still. Promise me that you'll be careful out there," AJ said, a worried look on her face. "I'm aware that you've been up against guys like Randy before, but just promise that you'll be careful out there, Phil."

Seeing the look on AJ's face and hearing her use his real name instead of his ring name, Punk grabbed AJ by her shoulders. Looking down into AJ's eyes, Punk said "April, I promise I'll be fine out there. I've been up against Randy numerous times before. You've got nothing to worry about."

Looking into Punk's eyes, AJ could see that Punk was confident in his ability to win. Sighing, AJ said "I guess you're right. But, can you blame me for being worried about you, Phil? You did take a pretty rough beating from Brock last night."

Smiling at the fact that AJ noticed that, Punk pulled AJ in for a hug and said "Oh, April. I've taken worse beatings than that one before. Besides, if I do end up against Orton, then I won't even be out there long."

Returning Punk's hug, AJ smiled and, looking into Punk's eyes, said "You're right. After all, it's going to take more than some Viper to beat the Best in the World."

Pulling away only to mess up AJ's hair, Punk laughed and said "That's my girl. Now, watch me do what I do best" as he turned and sped off to the gorilla position just as the opening guitar riff of 'Cult of Personality' started to play through the arena.

"Good luck out there!" AJ yelled after Punk, which got a thumbs-up from the older man.

…

Punk made it to the gorilla and through the curtain just in time enough to do his entrance and make it to the ring. He had just taken off his shirt and thrown it out into the crowd when 'No Chance in Hell' started to play through the arena. Looking on in confusion as Vince McMahon walked out onto the stage, Punk shook his head and laughed as he asked for a microphone. Bringing the microphone to his lips, Punk asked "Um, Vince. I think you're in the wrong place. This isn't your cushy office, so why are you out here?"

Smirking as he brought his own microphone to his lips, Vince said "Well, Punk. I'm out here because I'm here to announce your opponent for the night."

"Well, it's about damn time. Don't keep me waiting any longer," Punk said. "The suspense is killing me."

His smirk growing, Vince said "No need to worry about waiting a minute longer. Because here he is!"

Punk waited on until the sounds of 'Next Big Thing' played through the arena. Any signs of a smirk that were on his face disappeared the minute he saw Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman step through the curtain.

Shaking Vince's hand as the older man went backstage, Paul brought a microphone to his lips and said "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Brock gets to fight you two nights in a row."

Bringing his own microphone back up, Punk said "Try as he might, but Brock won't beat me so easily tonight."

Laughing, Paul said "Oh, I don't think Brock has anything to worry about as far as you are concerned. After all, it looks to me like you're still in no condition to compete at all tonight."

Looking down at the tape that was wrapped around his waist, Punk said "I've had worse injuries before, Paul. But, I'm not going to let a bit of bruising stop me from kicking Brock's ass around this ring."

Smirking, Paul said "We'll see if you can back up what that mouth of yours is saying." Nodding his head at Brock, Brock took that as a sign to head down to the ring for his match.

Throwing the microphone aside as Brock stepped into the ring, Punk braced himself for whatever damage Brock would cause him tonight.

…

Watching on as Punk and Brock continued their match, Alex and the others couldn't help but notice how physical things were starting to get between the two men.

Moaning, AJ rocked in her seat between Kaitlyn and Dolph as the two men exchanged hits with each other. "I am not liking how this is looking for Phil," AJ said. "Brock keeps going for his stomach, and Phil's really showing that it's affecting him."

Placing a hand on AJ's shoulder, Kaitlyn said "AJ, you have to remember. This is CM Punk we're talking about. He's the guy that's been through more hell in his matches than most other people we know."

"Kait's right, AJ," Dolph said. "Anyways, we all promised that we'd keep an eye on the match in case things started to get bad."

"Anyways, I don't think you've got anything to really worry about, AJ," Jimmy said from where he was sitting beside his brother. "Besides, look. Punk's got Brock set to do a GTS, so this match is just as good as won."

"Uhh, Jimmy. I wouldn't say that so soon," Alex said. Pointing at the TV screen, she said "Look."

As everyone turned to see what it was that Alex was talking about, they all got shocked at how the match had broken down: Punk had Brock set to do a GTS, only to get distracted by Paul leaping up on the apron and trying to get in the ring. Dropping Brock, Punk ran over to the ropes and made a move to punch Paul, only to just miss hitting Paul with a punch. Turning around, Punk walked right into a kick from Brock which got coupled together with an F5. Not wanting to waste any time, Brock quickly covered Punk and got the three-count for the win. Brock then stood up only for the sound of 'Voices' to fill the arena.

"I don't get it," Dolph said. "What's Randy doing going out there?"

Before anyone could answer, they all watched as Randy yelled at Brock to pick Punk up. Doing as the WWE Champion said, Brock picked up Punk, who tried but failed to fight his way out of the larger man's grip only to get kneed in the stomach. Smirking, Randy did an RKO on Punk before Punk could try to do anything else to defend himself. Looking down at a now fallen CM Punk, Randy put one of his feet on Punk's chest and did his Legend Killer pose, which drew a large amount of heat from the fans.

Not wanting to believe what had just happened, AJ started to cry as she yelled "Well, don't just sit back here! Someone go down there and help Punk!"

Sharing a look, Dolph and the Uso brothers leapt up from their seats and ran out the locker room to go help Punk out of the ring and to the medic's office before any more harm could be dealt to him.

Pulling AJ in for a hug as she tried to calm the younger woman down, Kaitlyn rubbed AJ's back and asked "Why the hell would Randy even do something like that?! Punk did nothing to hurt him, so why would he go out of his way to attack Punk when he couldn't fight back?"

"That's just Randy's deal," Cody said, still not quite comprehending the motive behind Randy's attack himself. "He just does what he wants when he pleases. But, not even he's so low as to want to hit a man when he's already down."

"Well, he'd better give us something in the way of an answer," Kaitlyn said, still working at trying to console AJ.

Watching on as Kaitlyn and Cody had more of their back-and-forth, Alex listened on as she took in how each of her friends were dealing with this turn of events: Kaitlyn was furious, AJ was immensely upset, and Cody couldn't seem to believe what had just happened. 'That was low, even for Randy. Kaitlyn's right. Orton had better give us an answer soon,' Alex thought, as she got up and moved over to AJ's other side and worked at trying to calm her friend down.

***sighs* Okk, so I know I might not be following the events that have been happening canonically with the Authority storyline, but I feel that at the very least I'm going to touch on some of the key things that have been happening in it.**

**Anyways, looks like Punk had to be the one to feel the Authority's wrath first...and poor AJ's worried sick about it. Maybe Alex and the others will get the answer from Randy that they're looking for soon. Until then, don't forget to R&R. =)**


End file.
